Choose the Sky: A Medieval Romance (Swordcross Knights Book 2) by Elizabeth Cole

Domina.” Luc bowed, very properly, then turned to where he’d been joined by the cowled rider, who pulled off his hood at the last moment.
    Mina blinked in surprise, seeing a man with sepia brown skin, a shade she’d never seen before.
    “My companion is also a knight in the king’s service,” said Luc.
    The stranger bowed. “Octavian de Levant, at your service.”
    Domina offered him a curtsey, which she belatedly realized she’d neglected to do for Luc. She smiled, not wishing to blame this knight for the annoyance Luc brought to her life. “You are most welcome, Sir Octavian. I trust your visit will be a pleasant one.”
And a short one
, she added silently. The sooner these men left her castle, the happier she’d be.
    “Please come within. My people will care for the animals.” Domina made a gesture, and her servants leapt to obey.
    She then turned back toward the entrance to the hall, with the two knights on her heels.
    The warmth inside made her cheeks sting, and she heard Octavian mutter in French to the effect that he was happy to be indoors again.
    Luc was looking around very curiously. “I hope your father has recovered from his illness. Where is he?”
    Domina was ready for this question with a little lie. “Thank you, yes. He is tending to a matter at one of our northern holdings, Sir Luc. I do not know precisely when he will return.”
    “Unfortunate. I wanted to speak to him in particular.”
    “Until you can, please direct your questions to me,” she said, hoping to discourage him from speaking to her servants at all.
    Turning to the other man, she said, “Were you not also Luc’s companion that night in London? When my party was set upon?”
    Sir Octavian nodded. “Yes. Apologies for not introducing myself at that time.”
    She laughed, unexpectedly delighted at the man’s serious demeanor. “You were otherwise occupied, sir, and I found no fault with your behavior that evening.”
    Octavian broke into a smile. “How reassuring.”
    “You said de Levant?” she asked. “Are you from the Holy Land, then?”
    “I was born in the city of Aleppo.”
    “Ah, how I wish my father could speak to you. He spent some years in the Levant when he was young. He would enjoy hearing more recent news of the place.”
    “When he returns here, I shall be most pleased to speak with him,” Octavian said.
    Mina froze for a second, realizing her mistake. Then she pasted on a smile. “I look forward to the time when I can introduce you to him,” she said. “For the moment, my servants will show you to your chambers. We will dine in one hour.”

Chapter 6

    In the guest chamber he’d been shown into, Luc found a small fire blazing away in the fireplace. He went to it immediately, stretching his hands toward the flames. The heat seeped into him. If only the lady of the castle was half as warm as this! Domina might have been carved from ice, the way she’d stood on the steps in nothing but a blue gown. Not even a cloak, though she’d surely been waiting for them for some time. Her cheeks glowed pink, but that was the only hint that she even felt the cold wind and the bite of the oncoming winter in the air.
    Poor Octavian had been complaining of the cold all day. He was not made for the climate in Britain, he often pointed out. Well, he’d got a smile out of the icy Domina, so that ought to have warmed him sufficiently. Luc suppressed a spike of jealousy. Just the thought of Domina laughing sent a coil of heat into his belly. He could imagine her, her head thrown back and those red curls. He pictured her long neck exposed for a kiss, and her body twined with his…that idea took care of any lingering cold he felt.
    He shook his head, trying to banish the admittedly delicious image. It was dangerous to think of Domina as anything other than the unwilling hostess she was. For all he knew, she was part of the conspiracy that so troubled the spymaster Drugo. He’d keep her at arm’s length. Not that she